Ban postpones Yemen's Geneva talks

NEW YORK, May 26 (KUNA) -- UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has asked his Special Envoy to Yemen, Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmad, to postpone the consultations in Geneva planned for May 28.
The postponement of the talks came following a request from the Government of Yemen and other key stakeholders for more time to prepare, a statement confirmed today.
While Ban is actively working to convene the talks at the earliest possible time, the statement said that the UN Chief is disappointed that it has not been possible to commence such an important initiative at the soonest possible date.
Therefore, he reiterated his call for all parties to engage in United Nations-facilitated consultations in "good faith and without pre-conditions." Nevertheless, he also reiterated that the only durable resolution to the crisis in Yemen is an inclusive, negotiated political settlement.
The Secretary General has instructed his Special Envoy to redouble his efforts to consult with the Yemeni Government, Yemen's political groupings and countries in the region with the aim of producing a comprehensive ceasefire and the resumption of peaceful dialogue and an orderly political transition.
Noting that the conflict has escalated once again following a much-needed five-day humanitarian pause, Ban urged in the statement all parties to be mindful of the suffering of Yemeni civilians, and to support the efforts of Ahmad.
"He is acutely aware that a postponement or delay in a return to the political process will exacerbate a steadily deepening humanitarian crisis," it added.
The Geneva initiative, aimed at bringing together a broad range of Yemeni governmental and other actors, following extensive consultations by the Special Envoy as well as strong expressions of support by various Security Council resolutions, including 2216, for a peaceful and Yemeni-led political transition process based on the Gulf Cooperation Council Initiative and its Implementation Mechanism and the outcomes of the comprehensive National Dialogue Conference. (end) mao.bs